Ellen Noble (Kennebunkport, Maine/JAM Fund-NCC-Vittoria) and Kaitie Antonneau (Racine, Wis./Cannondale Cyclocrossworld) notched top-10 finishes in the U23 and elite women’s categories Saturday, leading the way for American riders at the first day of the 2016 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.
Antonneau clocked the top American time in the elite women’s race, finishing eighth in 42:15. Thalita de Jong (NED) took the win in 41:03, trailed by Caroline Mani (FRA) in 41:17 and Sanne Cant (BEL) in 41:27. U.S. national champion Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Trek Factory Racing) finished 13th in 43:00, followed six seconds later by Elle Anderson (San Francisco, Calif./SRAM Strava) in 14th. Meredith Miller (Boulder, Colo./Noosa Pro Cyclocross) and Amanda Miller (Colorado Springs, Colo./Boulder Cycle Sport-YogaGlo) went back-to-back, crossing in 44:28 and 44:31 for 23rd and 24th, while Crystal Anthony (Beverly, Mass./Boulder Cycle Sport-YogaGlo) took 32nd in 47:24.
U.S. champion Noble clocked a sixth-place 43:16 effort in the U23 women’s category, which was the best American result on Saturday and marked the first U23 women’s race at a UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships. Evie Richards (GBR) won gold in 41:34, Nikola Noskova (CZE) earned silver in 43:09 and Maud Kaptheijns (NED) claimed bronze in 42:21. Hannah Arensman (Rutherford College, N.C./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling) finished 27th in 47:28, Allison Arensman (Rutherford College, N.C./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling) crossed 29th in 47:50, Emma Swartz (Madison, Wis./Trek Cyclocross Collective) finished 32nd in 48:23 and Laurel Rathbun (Monument, Colo./Raleigh-Clement) took 35th in 48:43.
Coming off of his junior national title, Gage Hecht’s (Parker, Colo./Alpha Bicycle Co.-Vista Subaru) 44:58 run was good for 12th in the junior men’s race, finishing 1:53 behind Dutch winner Jens Dekker (NED), who crossed in 43:05. Mickael Crispin (FRA) finished second in 43:40, followed by Thomas Bonnet (FRA) in 44:05. Eric Brunner (Boulder, Colo./Boulder Junior Cycling) earned 17th on the day in 45:22, trailed closely by 23rd-place finisher Cameron Beard (Bend, Ore./Cyclocrossworld) in 45:37 and 25th-place finisher Spencer Petrov (Mason, Ohio/Cyclocross Network Racing p/b Medical Remarketing) in 45:44. Denzel Stephenson (Boulder, Colo./ Boulder Junior Cycling) took 30th in 46:05, while Michael Owens (Richmond, Vt./Cyclocrossworld.com) finished 46th in 47:22.
Day 1 photo gallery.
Full UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships Day 1 results.
Competition concludes at the Cyclo-Cross World Championships on Sunday with the U23 and elite men’s races. Tune in to NBC Sports Extra for live coverage of the men’s race a 8:30 a.m. EST.
Elite women
1. Thalita de Jong (NED) 41:03
2. Caroline Mani (FRA) 41:17
3. Sanne Cant (BEL) 41:27
8. Kaitie Antonneau (Racine, Wis./Cannondale Cyclocrossworld) 42:15
13. Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Trek Factory Racing) 43:00
14. Elle Anderson (San Francisco, Calif./SRAM Strava) 43:06
23. Meredith Miller (Boulder, Colo./Noosa Pro Cyclocross) 44:28
24. Amanda Miller (Colorado Springs, Colo./Boulder Cycle Sport-YogaGlo) 44:31
32. Crystal Anthony (Beverly, Mass./Boulder Cycle Sport-YogaGlo) 47:24
U23 women
1. Evie Richards (GBR) 41:34
2. Nikola Noskova (CZE) 43:09
3. Maud Kaptheijns (NED) 42:21
6. Ellen Noble (Kennebunkport, Maine/JAM Fund-NCC-Vittoria) 43:16
27. Hannah Arensman (Rutherford College, N.C./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling) 47:28
29. Allison Arensman (Rutherford College, N.C./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling) 47:50
32. Emma Swartz (Madison, Wis./Trek Cyclocross Collective) 48:23
35. Laurel Rathbun (Monument, Colo./Raleigh-Clement) 48:43
Junior men
1. Jens Dekker (NED) 43:05
2. Mickael Crispin (FRA) 43:40
3. Thomas Bonnet (FRA) 44:05
12. Gage Hecht (Parker, Colo./Alpha Bicycle Co.-Vista Subaru) 44:58
17. Eric Brunner (Boulder, Colo./Boulder Junior Cycling) 45:22
23. Cameron Beard (Bend, Ore./Cyclocrossworld) 45:37
25. Spencer Petrov (Mason, Ohio/Cyclocross Network Racing p/b Medical Remarketing) 45:44
30. Denzel Stephenson (Boulder, Colo./ Boulder Junior Cycling) 46:05
46. Michael Owens (Richmond, Vt./Cyclocrossworld.com) 47:22
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